Phoenix Rising
by SynthaRoboto
Summary: A new engine with similar abilities to Lady shows up, and things start to spiral out of control M to be safe. Eventual character death and bizarre themes.
1. Chapter 1

We've all heard of the Lost Engine of Sodor. Lady, whether one loves or hates her, is known for supposedly being the source of the life force for all engines. However, legends often aren't completely true, and this would definitely be the case for Lady.

Lady is indeed a magical engine, though not in the sense that some think of her as. She is not a goddess, and the lives of all steam engines don't depend on her existence. However, she does have abilities that others don't possess. She has extensive psychic abilities, and can heal others to an extent.

While many engines have at least heard of Lady, there is another who is not so well known. One with similar abilities, perhaps even more.

 _Blackwell Scrapyard, present day_

It was nighttime, and Daniella was restless. She couldn't help but feel like something was just…off. She had already done her rounds, checking on the ailing engines several times, and found nothing out of the ordinary. One of the condemned engines had recently died, but this sort of thing was to be expected in a place such as this.

Taking care to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake those who were merely sleeping, she moved the recently deceased diesel to an area where dead engines were stored before being disassembled. After shunting the lifeless diesel amongst the others, she looked around. Several rows of dead engines sat before her, all in various states of decay. Noticing that a few of them had been sitting so long that their faces had completely rotted off, she heaved a sigh.

"I've really gotta scrap those things," Daniella muttered, looking at the ghastly sight. "Not tonight though…"

She was about to head back to her shed when a horn sounded from outside. Wondering who was honking, she headed towards the gates and out of the scrapyard.

Not too far away, Paxton was sitting on the tracks, looking nervous. Daniella spotted the green diesel and approached, giving off a short blast of her own horn.

"Paxton, what're you doin' out here at this time of night?" she said.

"Dani! Oh, thank goodness!" Paxton said, sounding relieved. "I was heading back to Sodor, but I ran out of fuel. I think my tank might've been leaking. Now I'm stuck here," he looked down.

"Don't worry, I'll get ya home," Daniella said to him as she was coupled up.

Paxton smiled. "Oh, thank you, Daniella!" he said, grateful for the assistance.

"No problem. Say, why were you out here in the first place?" said Daniella.

"I had to deliver some supplies to that other heritage railway a little ways north of here. Hiro normally would've done it, but he had an accident yesterday and is still at the Steamworks, and no other engine was available. Norman couldn't do it, he's sick again," Paxton furrowed his brows in concern. Norman had always been a rather sickly engine. "I'd hit a rock that was on the tracks on the way back, I think it put a hole in my fuel tank," he said.

"You must've really oiled yourself, all down the line!" Daniella said, snickering.

"Hey…" said Paxton.

"Relax, it can happen to anyone. Besides you should see the kind of shit I gotta deal with…er, maybe ya don't. But I see all kinds of leaks," said Daniella. "Blood, oil, bloody oil mixed with infected grease—"

"Yuck!" Paxton exclaimed. "Um…I'd rather you not tell me any more…it's just…I don't want to have nightmares tonight," he said. He was well aware of what Daniella's job entailed, and he would much rather not think of all the gruesome details. Being out of fuel in this area was bad enough!

A little while later, Daniella dropped Paxton off at the Dieselworks, where he was immediately looked over. The workers and Paxton thanked Daniella as she left to go back home. Afterwards, they began patching the hole that had been torn in the little diesel's fuel tank.

The entire time, Diesel 10 remained fast asleep in his shed…

The next day, Paxton was ready to go back to work. He was fueled up and soon headed to the docks to go pick up some trucks to take to the quarry. Once at Brendam, he hummed happily as he arranged his own train. On the next track, Henry was waiting for his train, and chatting with Edward. The big green engine looked somewhat worried.

"I'm sure it's just another silly rumor," Edward said in a reassuring voice.

"I certainly hope so, I wouldn't want s—scrapyard monsters roaming about!" Henry said shakily.

Paxton gulped. "Scrapyard monsters?" he said.

"Don't worry yourself, Paxton. There's just been a silly rumor going around about weird and unusual things happening in scrapyards. I'm sure it's nothing more than…well, scrap," Edward said kindly.

Paxton wouldn't have given this bizarre conversation a second thought, had it not been for the fact that Henry wasn't the only one who had heard some bizarre rumors. Apparently, the narrow-gauge engines had heard them too, and Luke was also worried.

As he waited for his trucks to be loaded up with stone, he listened in to the conversation:

"Luke, there is nothing to worry about, scrap doesn't come to life. Where did you hear such a ridiculous thing?" Rheneas said.

"Rusty told me, but he heard about it long ago, I don't know from whom," Luke replied.

Skarloey and Rheneas exchanged glances. It wasn't like Rusty to play tricks on others.

Then, Rusty approached. "Luke had asked me to tell him a story last night, so that's what I did," he said, looking remorseful.

"Well you've certainly frightened him!" said Rheneas.

"Now now Rheneas," Skarloey chided, "what was this story about?"

"It's just a story my driver told me a long time ago, he said he heard it from another driver back in the 60s," Rusty replied. "It was about a lost engine."

"Who, Lady?" Rheneas asked.

"No, not Lady," Rusty said with a slight chuckle, "though I'm sure this lost engine really is just a legend. It was about a diesel engine that could come back from scrap and has magical powers that it can't control."

"And it brought scrap to life!" Luke interjected.

"Yes, but it's just a story, Luke. It's not real," said Rusty.

Paxton let out a sigh of relief, and chuckled to himself. Of course, it was just another silly story that got spread around as a rumor. He was well aware that this type of thing happened frequently on Sodor. Engines did have a tendency to gossip, after all.

A week had gone by, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Lady had returned to Sodor for her annual visit, and most engines welcomed her warmly. Her first day back on Sodor went quite pleasantly, she was toured around the island and got to enjoy the sights and sounds. However, the closer she was to the mainland, the more she sensed…something. No, someone.

This oddity remained with her throughout the day, and that night, she didn't sleep. Instead, she headed out towards Vicarstown and sat near the bridge.

"Lady, is something troubling you?" Burnett asked with concern.

"Yes, Burnett," Lady replied. "I can feel the presence of another like myself."

Burnett shook his head. "You're one of a kind, Lady. Surely there couldn't be another, we'd have heard of it by now."

"Oh, Burnett, nothing is truly impossible," Lady said softly, focusing her eyes upon the horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

Daniella's week had been thankfully, uneventful. No new calls to retrieve any more dying engines, and no new deaths, for which she was grateful. Her job was quite emotionally taxing to say the least, but she pressed on no matter what. After all, someone had to look after engines who were at the end of the line, and if not her, she didn't know who would take her place.

During the time, Daniella took the opportunity to get some much-needed rest.

On Sodor, the Fat Controller had gotten a new engine on trial, as he was in need of another shunter. A little red BR class 02 sat at Knapford station, awaiting his directions.

"Ah, you must be Phoenix. Welcome to Sodor!" the Fat Controller said upon stepping out of his office.

"Yes sir," the little engine replied. "What would you like me to do today, sir?"

Before Topham could respond, his mother, who had been standing on the platform, interjected. "My, my! What an adorable little diesel! I'm sure you'll enjoy staying here very much."

Phoenix' cheeks flushed pink. "Thank you, ma'am…but I'm only on trial," he said.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine," Dowager cooed, "who could resist such a lovely little engine?" she stepped close to the edge of the platform, reached out, and pinched the diesel's cheek.

"Hey…" Phoenix said, flustered. However, Topham looked even more embarrassed than the shunter. "Er…um…Phoenix, why don't you go to the yards and help Philip arrange trains for the day?" he said awkwardly.

"Yes sir, I'll do my best, sir," Phoenix said as he scurried off. He wasn't looking where he was going, and bumped into another engine. "Oof!" he exclaimed.

"Hi there, I'm Thomas. You must be the new engine," the blue tank engine responded.

"Phew…sorry about that," Phoenix sighed. "I'm Phoenix," he said with a smile. Before Thomas could say anything else, the little diesel went to work arranging a goods train. As he did this, James arrived at the yard, grumbling intensely.

"A goods train! Hmph! Dirty job for a dirty engine! Not a splendid engine such as myself!" James scoffed, unaware of the new shunter, who was now focused on him.

Gordon, who was taking a rest, would have told him to quit his grumbling, if not for what James said next:

"Why doesn't that fat git have the dirty diesels pull these dirty trains?! _I'm_ the most special engine in the world! My paint makes me shine like a god! I'd shag myself if I could!"

Thomas and Gordon both gasped, and Phoenix shook his front and quickly focused his attention on the trucks.

"What?" James said, noticing he was being stared at.

"James!" Gordon said, flabbergasted. Thomas, on the other hand, was trying to suppress his laughter.

"Hmph!" James responded, completely unaware of what he had said just a moment ago.

Then, one of the trucks began chattering: "Oh I do love those coaches, I wish I could be coupled to them, what a smooth ride it would be. So lovely,"

"Is everyone losing their minds today? First James, now a truck!" said Gordon.

"Oh no!" Phoenix squeaked as he quickly shunted the rest of James' trucks into place. He let out a huge sigh of relief as James set off. Thomas, however, looked at the little diesel suspiciously. "Hmmm…." He said quietly. "Don't be silly, Thomas, it must be just a coincidence. He's just a little shunting diesel. Surely, he couldn't be why James said something odd. Besides, trucks say weird things all the time."

"Thomas, are you talking to yourself?" Gordon said, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Thomas replied.

"Silly tank engine," Gordon mumbled.

Neither of them noticed Phoenix scurry off to one of the sheds with a look of distress on his face. "Not again!" the little diesel said to himself. "I don't want to be a troublesome engine, I don't know why this happens!"

For the rest of the day, Phoenix tried his hardest to only focus on his work and not anyone else. Once the day was done, he headed away from Tidmouth sheds. He didn't want any more incidents with the resident steam engines. In his search for solitude, he bumped into yet another engine.

"Oof! Oh—I'm sorry, miss," Phoenix said, trying to avoid eye contact with the tank engine in front of him.

"You're what I'm sensing," Lady said, looking at the diesel.

"Wait—huh?" Phoenix asked.

"I knew I felt the presence of another like myself," Lady said softly.

"What do you mean by that?" Phoenix asked, confused.

"You're magic," Lady said with a smile.

Phoenix furrowed his brows. "That can't be true. There's no such thing as magic…manager told me," he replied.

Lady chuckled softly. "Of course, there is," she said, letting a bit of her sparkle float into the air.

"That…but…I was always told there's a logical explanation for everything…how am I magic?" Phoenix questioned.

"I can feel it in you," Lady replied. "You were taught it was impossible, weren't you?"

"How did you know?" said Phoenix.

"Magic, little one. To be specific, I can read minds. And you can too," said Lady.

Phoenix was silent for a moment, as a sudden realization hit him. "So that's why other engines say weird things when I'm around!"

"You're hearing their thoughts," Lady replied.

"It's more than that," Phoenix said, looking down. "When it happens…they say it out loud…like this." He turned his full attention to Lady, who then blurted out:

"I wonder if I'll get to see that handsome warsh—oooh my!" she suddenly cut herself off before she revealed any more.

Phoenix looked down. "I can't control it, miss," he said, remorseful.

Lady's expression quickly softened. "Of course, you can't. You're such a young one, and it's apparent that you never had a chance to learn. Don't worry, dear engine, you'll be able to control it in time."

"But…" Phoenix trailed off.

"Not everyone wants to accept that there are things in this world that they can't understand. You'll find friends and be accepted by those who matter," Lady said kindly.

Phoenix smiled upon hearing this. "Thank you, miss." Feeling much better, he went to a nearby siding and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

As the days went by, the engines on Sodor eventually found out that Phoenix was another engine like Lady, and for the most part, accepted him. Phoenix had made fast friends with Paxton, and the two would often work together. Lady remained on Sodor so that she could keep an eye on the young diesel, and be there for him in case he needed help or advice.

Little did anyone know that one day, the happy atmosphere would be shattered, and from that day on, nothing would ever be the same…

Sir Topham Hatt had begun placing orders for fuel shipments from the mainland from a different company, as the one he had previously done business with was not providing quality diesel. He had no way of knowing that the shipment of premium diesel would be intercepted by an engine with a chip on her boiler…

The fuel shipment was delivered by a majestic 9F, who had offered to take the train for Hiro, who was feeling quite sore that day. Alicia had been polite to him, and offered sympathy for his pain, so he had no reason to suspect that she had an ulterior motive.

No one had noticed her make an extra stop or two along the way, allowing her driver and fireman to pour a mixture of petrol and sugar into the fuel barrels.

"Fresh fuel from the mainland!" Dart called out as he pulled into the yard in front of the Vicarstown Dieselworks. "The engine who delivered it was awfully rude, though…" he mumbled.

"But…Hiro brought it, didn't he?" said Norman.

"No, it was some other steam engine I'd never seen before. She was awfully mean, even spit on me," Dart mumbled.

"She did what?!" Den exclaimed.

As they were talking, Paxton got himself refueled so that he could go do his jobs.

"She spit on me! Right in my face! She also was disgusted that I was on a 'steam railway'," Dart said, looking hurt.

"She certainly sounds unpleasant," said Norman.

"You could say that again," said Dart.

"I was thinking of a different word, but um…I um…" Den trailed off.

"What he means to say is that he thinks she's a cunt." Said Dart.

"DART!" Den exclaimed.

"Well, she is! And a big one too!" Dart shot back.

Diesel 10, who had been silently observing them, rolled up to the fuel barrels and took a whiff. His nose crinkled in disgust upon smelling what was definitely NOT just diesel fuel. "Nobody use this fuel. It's contaminated."

Everyone quieted upon hearing his voice.

"Sugar and petrol, a lethal combination. Somebody must truly hate us diesels," Diesel 10 mused.

Suddenly, Den, Dart, and Norman gasped. "Paxton!" they all exclaimed.

"You idiots! Paxton wouldn't have anything to do with—" Diesel 10 stopped; the realization suddenly hitting him. "Where is he headed to?" he demanded.

"Ffarquahar," Norman responded.

"Move," Diesel 10 said as he switched tracks. Norman didn't need to be told twice as the warship thundered off, hoping to catch up to Paxton before it was too late.

As he thundered down the tracks, he blew through a red signal, nearly hitting Phoenix, who was being switched onto the same track. "Out of my way! Move, move, MOVE!" Diesel 10 shouted as he blasted past.

"HEY! You almost hit me! Come back here, you big jerk!" Phoenix exclaimed as he followed the much bigger engine.

By the time Phoenix had caught up, Diesel 10 had already reached the quarry. Upon seeing the warship's behind, he immediately let into him: "What was that all about, mister?! You could've hit me back there! You do know signals turn red for a reason—" As Phoenix came to a stop, he saw something that made his oil run cold. A smoking heap of metal, the remains of an engine that looked like it had caught fire.

"PAXTON!" Phoenix cried out in horror.

The warship, who had been so loud and obnoxious just a minute ago, had fallen silent, inching closer to the green shunter. "Pax…" Diesel 10 choked out. He reached out with the claw attached to his roof, gently nudging the damaged engine's face. Momentarily, Paxton opened his eyes slightly, letting out a soft groan, before becoming completely still.

"Paxton! No, no, stay awake! No…no no NO!" Diesel 10 shook him, to no avail. After several more vain attempts to wake the green shunter, he slowly reversed, breathing heavily. Then, he let out an agonized wail.

Phoenix tried to focus on Paxton; yet no matter how hard he tried, he could hear nothing from inside. He hardly noticed the time passing, let alone the heartbreaking sobs from the other engines, or Diesel 10 slamming his claw repeatedly into some rocks. As a matter of fact, everything seemed to be a blur. The clawed engine finally stopped bashing the rocks, and appeared to be trembling as another had buffered up to him, presumably to comfort him. A little blue car rolled up, and the railway controller stepped out, taking his hat off and hanging his head at the sight before him.

Phoenix continued desperately trying to reach Paxton, not caring how exhausted he became. Finally, after pushing himself past his limit, Phoenix blacked out. When he came to, he found himself in the main shed of the Vicarstown Dieselworks. The same clawed engine was there, and looking at him with concern.

"Good, you're awake. I don't think I could bear losing another fellow diesel," Diesel 10 said in an unusually melancholy tone.

Losing another? Phoenix blinked a few times, then it all came back to him. "Paxton…" he said.

Diesel 10 looked down, then closed his eyes tightly.

"He didn't make it. I'm sorry, Phoenix," Dart said quietly.

Phoenix' face trembled as tears formed in his eyes. "He was my friend…I didn't even get to say goodbye…" At that, he began to cry pitifully.

"My sister took him," Diesel 10 said. "I'm sure she'll let you say goodbye."

Phoenix sniffled, looking up at the bigger engine.

"She took him to Blackwell, one of the only scrapyards that treats dying engines with care. She lives there," Diesel 10 said.

"You should rest first before going there," Den said in a soft but stern voice.

"He was my friend too," Diesel 10 said in a softer voice, "He even got along with the steam engines. We'll all miss him."

Meanwhile, Daniella had shunted the burnt-out diesel into the sidings with the others who had succumbed to their damage. "I hope Diesel 10 won't go completely bonkers over this," she said with a sigh. She made a mental note to herself to visit him as soon as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

It was early morning when Phoenix arrived at Blackwell Scrapyard. The big, iron gates creaked open as the small shunter entered. "Hello…?" he called out. "Is anyone there?"

He gasped as a badly rusted engine slowly opened its eyes and looked at him with a pitiful expression. "O-oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," Phoenix said quietly.

"Who's there?!" a raspy, somewhat slurred voice called out.

"I—I'm Phoenix. I'm here to…to say goodbye to someone," Phoenix answered.

A warship class emerged from behind a massive pile of scrap, looking at the small engine with her one eye. Phoenix gulped; this engine looked incredibly menacing. "Are you Diesel 10's…sister?" he said meekly.

"Uh-huh," Daniella replied absentmindedly as she lifted an old set of wheels with her claw.

"Would it be alright…if..if I said g—goodbye to Paxton?" Phoenix said, once again feeling tears form in his eyes.

"Of course, ya can," Daniella said, her expression softening. "Come with me, little one."

Phoenix followed the one-eyed diesel to the area where all the dead engines were stored. "Right over there," Daniella said, gesturing with her claw.

Upon seeing the burnt remains of his friend, Phoenix rushed over. Once again, the tears began to flow. "I'm so sorry, Paxton…"

"Take all the time you need, I'll leave you be," Daniella said softly.

"Thank you miss," Phoenix choked out.

"Daniella," the bigger engine replied. "I'm gonna go visit my brother. You can stay as long as you like, just be nice to the engines here."

"I will, Daniella," Phoenix said with a sniffle. He looked back at his fallen friend. "I don't want this to be goodbye," he said tearfully, "Oh why did this have to happen?"

He could feel the other engines who were still alive. He could feel their pain, their suffering…he wished he could make it stop. Looking at the other dead engines, Phoenix shuddered. "I wish you didn't have to die, Paxton…I wish all of you didn't have to die," he said sorrowfully. "I wish I could bring you back…"

 _Meanwhile, on Sodor…_

"Diesel 10!" Thomas exclaimed as the aforementioned warship knocked an entire coal train off the rails at Knapford Yard.

"It's not FAIR!" Diesel 10 shouted, slamming his claw into one of the upturned trucks.

"Not fair?! Knocking over our coal train isn't fair! We need that coal to run!" said Gordon.

"You won't die if you run out of coal! You won't die if your coal gets dirty!" Diesel 10 snapped.

"We all miss him, Diesel 10, but this is no way to be acting!" said Emily.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Diesel 10 shrieked, smashing one of the poor trucks to pieces.

Sir Topham Hatt came stomping out of his car, looking rather cross. "What is the meaning of this—oh dear. Diesel 10! You need to calm down!" he said, stepping in front of the crazed warship.

Diesel 10 stopped smashing the trucks, looked Topham straight in the face, and let out an ungodly scream, before reversing quickly out of the yard.

Topham sighed in frustration. "Thomas, do go get the breakdown cranes," he said.

It was at that moment, Daniella approached. "Have you guys seen Diesel…10…" Her eye widened at the mess. "Oh boy. Which way did he go?" she said.

"That way," Topham said, looking irritated. "Do talk some sense into him whenever you find him."

"That's what I'm here for," Daniella said, as she followed the trail of destruction her brother had left. Soon enough, she found her brother, who was face first in a shed that wasn't quite long enough for him. In any other scenario, Daniella would have laughed at the fact that his rear end was sticking awkwardly out of the shed, but the muffled cries coming from inside killed any desire she may have had to laugh at him.

"Come on out of there, Ten," Daniella said softly.

"I don't want to!" came the anguished response.

Daniella frowned. "Alright, well…come out when you're ready…" she heaved a sigh. "I know you're upset…but tearin' up Knapford yard isn't gonna bring him back," she said.

"I know, Dani…I know…" Diesel 10 said sadly.

In the weeks after Paxton's untimely demise, the gloomy atmosphere on Sodor lingered. Things just weren't the same; the unexpected, sudden tragedy had affected everyone. The weeks turned into months, and time marched on, cold, unrelenting. Phoenix continued to visit Blackwell, desperately trying to reach his dead friend. His visits were so frequent that Daniella became accustomed to it.

Often the black warship would look on sadly as the tiny shunter would buffer up to the lifeless class 08. She was rather concerned for him for some time, but his visits would become less frequent as time went on.

Diesel 10 didn't cause any more trouble; rather, he sat and sulked in his shed most of the time.

It was a chilly autumn night when Daniella returned to Blackwell, towing a couple of diesels whose engines had been irreparably damaged by some badly contaminated fuel. After shunting the two class 40s into place and getting them settled, she headed for her shed, as she was exhausted. That night, she didn't bother to check on the state of the scrapyard before going to sleep. However, this didn't concern her much, as she was well aware that nothing much happened on a daily basis at the scrapyard.

The very next morning, Daniella did her rounds, checking on the engines who were still alive. Once she was done with that, she headed towards the area where the dead ones were stored. The area had been neglected for quite some time, and it was long past high time to scrap them all. However, Daniella was in for quite a surprise.

Empty sidings, where the dead engines had rusted for so long. _Empty sidings_.

Daniella stared in shock, opening and closing her one eye several times. She struggled to process this. How, just _how_ , could over a dozen dead engines just disappear?

"What the fuck…" Daniella breathed. She had no idea who would steal a bunch of dead diesels, but she sure as hell was going to find out…


	5. Chapter 5

It was late at night, and Percy was doing his nightly mail run. He took the post all the way from Knapford to Vicarstown, stopping at stations along the way. By the time he headed home, it was very dark, and no one else was out. No other trains were supposed to be running at this time, yet Percy heard the creaking of wheels behind him. It sounded like an old, rusty truck rolling down the line.

"That's odd," Percy said to himself, "I'm not pulling any trucks or coaches. I wonder what's making that sound…"

As the odd creaking sound continued, his driver slowed Percy to a stop. He and the fireman stepped out to inspect their engine, thinking the sound may be an indication that something may be wrong with Percy. However, as they were checking Percy over, the sound grew louder, as if something were slowly approaching.

"Great Scott, what IS that thing?!" the fireman exclaimed as he looked up.

"It's scrap…but what's it doing here on the mainline?" his driver responded.

"Scrap…?" Percy squeaked.

"Aye, someone let a ruddy dead diesel onto the mainline. Must've been those Iron Twins pulling a prank," the driver said as he stepped back into Percy's cabin. "Well, let's get this thing back to the smelters yard before somebody crashes into it."

Percy shuddered. He didn't particularly like the idea of shunting a dead engine anywhere, let alone to the smelters yard! However, he knew his driver was right. If such a hazard was left on the mainline, someone could get hurt.

Soon enough, Percy was switched onto the other track and backed up onto the dead engine. Thankfully, he couldn't see its rotting face, which was a grisly sight indeed. Just as he was about to be coupled up, the deteriorated engine let out a soft moan. For a moment, Percy, along with his driver and fireman, stood frozen in place, not believing what they had just heard. Then, the diesel's gravelly voice sounded again, making another indescribably eerie sound.

Percy's driver and fireman scrambled into position, opening his regulator all the way, and Percy sped off as fast as his wheels could carry him. In the distance, Percy swore he heard that same voice calling out:

"Per…cy…wait…"

Scared out of his wits, Percy returned to Tidmouth sheds and hunkered down, fearing that whatever that thing was, might follow him there. However, nothing followed the little green tank engine, and he was quite relieved by the time the sun finally came up.

As the day went on, Percy began to think that last night's encounter must have been a scary dream or a figment of his imagination. Sadly, most engines on Sodor had been conditioned to be overly skeptical and disbelieving of anything supernatural. Much like Phoenix, they had been taught from an early age that things such as ghosts and magic were nonexistent.

Over time, they would realize that what they had been taught was a massive lie, especially after encountering Lady. Unfortunately, due to a lack of understanding of such things, and others refusal to acknowledge the existence of such things, many of the engines began to believe that Lady was the source of their life.

Steam engines in general tended to be more gullible, and less likely to understand the more difficult concepts in life. In general, the intelligence of diesels tended to be higher, along with their emotional capability.

At the smelters, Arry and Bert had discovered something quite out of the ordinary. An engine who had been taken to Blackwell, was now in their yard.

"Is that…oh hell no," Bert said, looking angry. "Arry! Get your ass over here and look at this!"

"This better be important," Arry grumbled as he moved to where his twin was. There, amongst the condemned trucks and rusted old steam engine parts, was the same little diesel who had died months ago. "What kind of sick joke is this?! Daniella better have a good explanation for this," he growled.

"Where…is she?" a scratchy, gravelly voice said.

"That's it! This isn't funny. Show yourself, you sick fuck crazy warship!" Arry snapped, thinking that Daniella must be hiding somewhere in the yard.

"It's me…" the same voice said.

"We figured that much! Now get out of our yard!" Bert snapped.

"And take—Paxton—back where he can rest in peace!" Arry spat.

"It's…ME…" the voice repeated, this time with a slight whine. Then, the rusted shunter began moving backwards. Arry and Bert's expressions changed from disgust to shock as it became apparent that no one was pushing Paxton, and no one had simply biffed him. His decaying face was _moving_.

"I don't…feel right…help…"

"Stay back!" Bert commanded, backing up slowly.

"Do you think he's contagious?" Arry mumbled.

"I sure as hell don't want to find out!" said Bert.

Neither of them noticed Diesel 10, who had arrived with a few broken trucks that were to be scrapped, however, the undead shunter did. As Arry and Bert backed away from him, Paxton moved closer to Diesel 10.

"Help…me…please…"

"Paxton…?" Diesel 10 said quietly.

"Ten! Get away from him you idiot!" Arry shouted.

Completely ignoring Arry, Diesel 10 cautiously moved closer.

"Diesel 10…please help me…everyone's afraid of me…I don't know what's wrong…" Paxton's voice was raspy and gravelly. "Please…it's still me…"

"Paxton…what's happened to you? How did you get like this…you…you're dead…" said Diesel 10.

"What's…wrong with me?" came the reply.

"You don't know at all, do you?" Diesel 10 said, his voice softening.

"Nuh-uh…please help me Diesel 10…I don't feel right," Paxton moaned.

"I don't think I can," Diesel 10 said sadly.

"Why not?" Paxton said with a slight whine.

"Because…you're a bloody zombie, Paxton! Den and Dart can't fix THAT! I can't fix that…I…I don't know what to do…" said Diesel 10.

Paxton let out a rather distorted whine, followed by an odd gurgle. "Don't—don't leave me all alone…" he mumbled. "I don't wanna be a scary zombie…"

"I won't," Diesel 10 said softly, reaching his claw out.

"Quick, grab him!" Arry shouted.

"Get him to the furnace!" said Bert.

" _NO_!" Diesel 10 barked. "Zombie or not, this is Paxton we're talking about! He's still himself…" His claw gently brushed against the rusted engine's ladders.

"Oh, and we're supposed to just let him loose, so he can go bite everyone?!" said Bert.

"You idiots, Paxton doesn't bite!" Diesel 10 shot back.

"He's a fucking zombie!" said Arry.

"Guys…I'm not gonna bite anyone," said Paxton.

"See?! He's still himself! Now, to find a way to help him…and find out just _how_ this happened to him…" Diesel 10 trailed off.

"Good luck with _that_ ," Arry scoffed.

"Hmmm…" Diesel 10 frowned. "Come, Paxton…I have an idea, but I don't like it very much…"

"You do…?" Paxton creaked out.

"Yes…yes, indeed. We're going to see… _her_."


	6. Chapter 6

It was late at night when Diesel 10 began his journey across Sodor with Paxton in tow. Paxton was hidden underneath a tarp for his safety and comfort; though his face was partially uncovered so that he could see. Diesel 10 stayed vigilant the entire time; he didn't want anyone to see him or find out where he was headed. He didn't want to find out what would happen to him if someone else found out that he knew exactly where the magic buffers were. He wasn't very well liked, and those steam engines especially had a tendency of assuming the worst from him.

As they approached, Paxton piped up and said: "Um, Diesel 10…this track is a dead end…"

"No, it isn't," Diesel 10 responded as he gained a bit of speed.

Paxton whimpered, bracing himself for a crash. However, the crash never happened, and he found himself in a place he had never seen before. The rails seemed to glow with a golden energy, and the trees on either side of the tracks all had branches that arched over and interlaced.

"Where…are we…" Paxton said shakily.

Diesel 10, however, didn't answer. With a serious face, he slowly moved along the rails.

"Diesel 10…?" said Paxton.

"What?" Diesel 10 said irritably.

"What is this place…" said Paxton.

"The magic railway," Diesel 10 said in an unenthusiastic tone.

"The…magic… _what_?" Paxton said, confused.

"The bloody magic railway!" Diesel 10 said, raising his voice.

"But…I thought that…w—wasn't real…" said Paxton.

"Well it bloody well is!" Diesel 10 snapped.

"Jeez…no need to be so rude…" Paxton mumbled.

"Is somebody there?" a soft, feminine voice called out.

"You know damn well who it is," Diesel 10 said irritably.

A chuffing was heard as Lady slowly approached them. "What are you doing here, Diesel 10?" she asked.

"Before you go accusing me of some complete and utter bullshit such as, oh, I don't know, wanting to kill off every last tin kettle and rusty old boiler on wheels," Diesel 10 said caustically, "I only came here because of THIS." He moved to a switch and uncoupled from Paxton. Then, with his claw, he lifted the tarp off of his friend. "Care to explain?"

Lady gasped and stared slack-jawed.

"Um…hi, Lady…" Paxton said quietly.

"…Paxton? You're still yourself…you're a zombie!" Lady said breathlessly.

"Obviously," Diesel 10 said dryly.

"How…" Lady trailed off.

"That's what I was going to ask you!" said Diesel 10.

"I can assure you, I had nothing to do with this." Lady looked from Paxton to Diesel 10 with worry in her eyes.

Diesel 10 rolled his eyes in response. "Obviously there was magic involved! You're a magic engine, now cut the crap!" he said, clanking his claw crossly.

"You know I'm not the only one," Lady said; her voice shaking a bit.

"Are you actually accusing Phoenix of this?!" Diesel 10 said with more than a hint of anger in his voice. "Phoenix would _never_ turn his friends into zombies!"

"Not deliberately," Lady responded.

"And what in the hell do you mean by that?!" Diesel 10 said impatiently.

"Phoenix has little control over his abilities. He doesn't even know half of what he's capable of," said Lady.

"Well, perhaps you should have told him before THIS happened!" said Diesel 10. "Paxton is one of my only friends. Help him…please." His voice faltered at the end, his desperation showing.

"I'll do what I can, but first we must talk to Phoenix," Lady said softly.

"You're actually going to help…just like that?" Diesel 10 said, sounding rather surprised.

"Of course, I will," Lady said, offering a friendly smile.

Soon enough, the three of them had set off, heading back to the Dieselworks as Phoenix would most likely still be there.

"She seems nice, Diesel 10," said Paxton, "why do you not like her? Is it because she's a steam engine?"

Diesel 10 looked surprised and irritated at the question. "It's not that," he said.

"Well, um, if you don't mind me asking—" Paxton started.

"None of your business!" Diesel 10 snapped, slamming the jaws of his claw shut.

"Ooh my, what a temper!" Lady muttered under her breath.

"What was that?!" diesel 10 snapped.

"Diesel 10…" Paxton groaned.

"Will you stop blowing your steam in my direction?!" Diesel 10 griped.

"I'm sorry, I can't exactly control where the wind blows," said Lady.

Much to Paxton's dismay, Diesel 10 and Lady continued their bickering all the way back to the Dieselworks. They arrived at a scene of chaos, which silenced the bickering. The diesels were running around and hiding from none other than Daniella, who did not appear to be in a good mood at all.

"Stop running! Just tell me what you know!" Daniella growled as she advanced on Diesel.

"We don't know anything!" Diesel cried, "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Daniella, what is the meaning of this?!" Diesel 10 shouted.

"Someone took all the dead engines from my scrapyard!" Daniella replied. Frustration was evident in her voice.

"What…?" Diesel 10 was confused. "Who on earth would steal dead engines?!"

"That's what I'm trying to find out!" said Daniella.

"I don't think they were stolen," Paxton said, rolling forward on his creaky wheels. "I think they might've ended up like me."

Daniella, and the other diesels present, all fell silent.

"Paxton…?" Dart whispered breathlessly.

With her claw, Daniella pointed a single prong at Paxton and said, "You're dead. You are fucking DEAD. How in the flying _fuck_?!"

"I don't know how I got like this…um, Dani…" said Paxton.

It was at that moment, Phoenix entered the Dieselworks yard. Everyone, and I do mean _everyone_ looked at him. "Oh, hiya guys…what's going on…?" Phoenix trailed off, having finally seen him. Paxton, his dead friend…now undead.

"Lady here is saying that you're responsible for this," Diesel 10 said, gesturing at Paxton. "Care to explain?"

"I…. I…" Phoenix stammered.

"It seems all of my dead engines also disappeared. Did you zombify them, too?!" said Daniella.

Phoenix could feel the panic building up inside of him. "Oh god…oh no…nonono…oh, Paxton! I'm so sorry, I didn't want _this_!" the tiny shunter burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. He had felt sorry for the dead engines at Blackwell, and had desperately wished that Paxton wouldn't have died, but he never expected this to happen. "I—I don't know how—" Phoenix choked back a sob. "I wanted them better—I—I don't know—" whatever Phoenix said next was incomprehensible as he sobbed hard.

"Phoenix…" Paxton said softly, "No one's mad at you…at least I don't think anyone is…we just want answers, that's all."

"B-But I don't _have_ any answers! I don't know how this happened…I just wished I could talk—" Phoenix sniffled, "to my best friend again…a-and I felt so awful…seeing all those lifeless engines. T-They didn't deserve it. I…I didn't think t-this would happen!"

"I didn't either," Lady said softly. "Even I didn't expect your magic to be this powerful."

"Well, now what do we do?! Paxton is a zombie, and there's probably a bunch of them running loose on the mainland!" said Diesel 10.

"Well, we're just gonna hafta round 'em all up," said Daniella.

"And then what?" said Diesel 10.

"We'll figure out what to do with 'em later. First things first though." Said Daniella. "Now, who's gonna help me?"

A resounding chorus of "not me" echoed across the yard.

"Oh, for fucks sakes!" Daniella said, flustered.


	7. Chapter 7

Daniella soon left for the Other Railway, muttering about having to do all of the dirty work herself. Moments later, Diesel 10 looked at his fellow diesels and said, "We are going to help her. If they're all like Paxton, the undead engines mean no harm and are likely scared and confused. Den, Dart, you two stay here. You too, Phoenix. Keep an eye on Paxton."

Reluctantly, the other diesels followed Diesel 10, not wanting to face his wrath—or his sister's wrath—if they refused to help. Shortly afterwards, Lady decided to go along and investigate, hoping that she would be able to find a way to help the afflicted engines.

"Well, um…how about you and Phoenix come inside?" Dart said hesitantly.

Quietly, Paxton and Phoenix went inside the main building.

"Are you in any pain?" Den asked.

"No…" Paxton replied, the looked towards Phoenix, whose eyes were downcast with an expression of shame and remorse on his face. "Phoenix?"

"I'm sorry, Paxton," Phoenix said in a quiet voice. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright, Phoenix." Paxton gave a small smile. "Even if I can't go back to normal, well…this isn't so bad. Besides, I get to be with my friends again."

Phoenix looked up at his friend tearfully. The green class 08's paint was peeling and faded; exposed metal covered in rust. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes glazed over, yet Paxton still smiled that same friendly smile he had while alive.

At a small heritage railway on the mainland, three steam engines sat in their sheds. Gerald, a former GWR Pannier tank, and Corey, a former NER class H were conversing when the irritable 9f beside them chuffed out of her shed.

"Is something bothering you, Alicia?" Corey asked kindly.

"Something's always bothering her," Gerald muttered.

"You know what bothers me," Alicia said coldly.

Gerald sighed. "There's no use staying angry. What happened can't be changed," he said.

"I'm well aware the past can't be changed. I'm not an idiot. However, that won't stop me from destroying as many of those oily abominations as I can!" Alicia hissed.

There was a moment of silence from the other two engines.

"Destroying them?!" Corey exclaimed. "Alicia, you haven't been doing anything rash, have you?"

"I'm doing what we all should have done decades ago!" Alicia snapped. "and what you two are far too cowardly to do!"

"Now wait just a minute!" Gerald said, "I don't like diesels either, but destroying them won't do us any good!"

Alicia snorted. "You two will be thanking me later. The less of those filthy oil stains on the rails, the better!" At that, she puffed off, leaving the two tank engines behind.

Gerald sighed. "That one was never quite right in the smokebox," he said.

"She scares me," said Corey. He looked over to an empty siding with a look of sadness on his face. Before Alicia had arrived, the little railway had a diesel shunter. However, in a fit of rage, Alicia had viciously bashed the little diesel to the point of crushing it. The shunter died soon afterwards, despite an attempt to save it. Months later, a new diesel had been purchased for the railway. A class 08 with such a friendly temperament, it was expected that Alicia would warm up to him.

Alicia, however, despised the diesel's presence. Her cruel words would often cause the kind shunter to cry himself to sleep at night. Not even a month later, the class 08 had died for seemingly no apparent reason. One morning, his driver couldn't start him up. No matter what he or anyone did, the friendly diesel wouldn't wake.

After that, the little railway never got another diesel. The manager didn't want Alicia scrapped, and couldn't find anyone willing to buy her due to her temperament.

Alicia was heading towards Sodor once more. She was thinking of talking to some of the steam engines there, hoping to get them to join her sick, twisted cause. However, as she was travelling, she spotted a lone class 06 being uncoupled from a short train of goods wagons. The class 06 was switched onto the line just ahead of her, and Alicia saw an opportunity to rid the railways of another diesel.

A predatory gleam filled the 9f's eyes as she approached the shunter from behind, and a wicked snarl spread across her lips. She rammed the diesel from behind while picking up speed. The force of the collision sent the smaller engine off the rails. As the class 06 toppled onto its side, Alicia bashed into him viciously and repeatedly. Each time she rammed into him, the small diesel was pushed along the tracks. Bits of metal came off of him, and an already massive dent in his side grew ever larger.

"Help me somebody help!" the class 06 screamed, utterly terrified. "STOP IT PLEASE—" he screamed in agony as the vicious 9f rammed him again, crumpling his frame. His screams faded into a choking gurgle as he was damaged further.

Alicia was about to deliver the final blow when she heard a raspy voice call out, "Who's there?!"

Pausing her brutal attack, Alicia looked up. Ahead of her in the distance was another diesel. Growling, she booked it in reverse, hoping the approaching warship wouldn't see her. "Damn scrapper," she muttered to herself.

Daniella approached the fallen shunter, looking for any sign of who or what might have caused this horrific scene. However, she saw no one else. "What the hell happened here?" she said quietly.

The class 06 tried to speak, but all that came out was a sickening, squishing, choking sound, along with a torrent of oil and coolant. Daniella gently ran the prongs of her claw along his side as he gasped and heaved, before gaping like a fish and becoming completely still.

"What the fuck happened here…" Daniella muttered.


End file.
